The Message from Doctor Soong
by Andrew Joshua Talon
Summary: The Crystalline Entity is wreaking havoc across the galaxy, and it's all thanks to Lore. Dr. Soong tried to make up for this terrible mistake, but it was lost in the destruction of Omicron Theta... Until the Enterprise-D found it.


**The Message from Doctor Soong**

 _A Star Trek crossover one-shot idea by Andrew J. Talon_

DISCLAIMER: _This is a non-profit fan-based parody._ _Star Trek: The Next Generation and other intellectual properties are the property of CBS, Capcom, and the Megas. No copyright infringement is intended, please support the official release._

* * *

 _His creation... He had brought down dire threats to the entire Federation. An entire colony world was gone, wiped clean by the Crystalline Entity. Another colony, scooped up and just taken by those cybernetic creatures..._

It was his fault. He had created Lore, let him go out... And this was what had happened. His fault... His fault...

He took a deep breath and turned back to the table. A paler version of his face stared back up at him, with yellow eyes that were placid and lifeless. He smiled down at his creation, and ruffled his black hair.

"Begin recording," he ordered the computer. "Data, by the time you get this I will be gone. You've passed my tests... And made me proud. But I can't keep you here... The universe needs you. And even if you lack emotions... I know you. Not just from your programming... From

you."

 _He licked his lips._

"I made you in my image... I built your heart. I gave you eyes. I gave you power. A sense of justice beyond any compare. I gave you hands, a child's face... Heh... I even gave you hair."

Doctor Noonien Soong shook his head, and encoded the last command.

"But the burning in your heart... I did not put there. But... I will not die... Before I have corrected my mistakes." He smiled lovingly at his creation... His... "My son... You will do it... Have faith, in nothing else if you must... But yourself..."

* * *

The surface of Omicron Theta was a hellish nightmare... And the Away Team was well aware of that. It was hoped that maybe some research into the first world the Crystalline Entity had struck would give more insight into how it operated.

It did, unfortunately. As Lieutenant Geordi LaForge and Ensign Deanna Troi hid in one of the ruins, panting hard in their spacesuits. LaForge looked over at Deanna, as the young empath was hugging herself tightly. She curled up, clearly trying to stay calm.

"Can... Can you sense them? The rest of the team?" LaForge asked softly. Troi shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"N-No... None," she whispered. "Those things... I... I can feel..." She trembled. "I don't _want_ to... I don't _wan't_ to..."

"Hey, hey, it's going to be okay," Geordi said, crouching down and squeezing the young medic's shoulders. "It's okay..."

"I did... I didn't even want this assignment," she mumbled. "I wanted to be a counselor... But they needed medics, and I..."

"I know, I know," Geordi said. "I know... But we're here now, and we've got to focus. All right? The _Enterprise_ is going to be back on station in an hour... We can last an hour... We _have_ to last an hour."

Deanna nodded frantically, taking deep breaths. She then froze.

"They're coming," she whispered. "They're _close..."  
_  
Geordi kneeled down, scanning the area with his VISOR. He could see some of the strange, ghostly shapes in the distance of the entities. They were heading in this direction, though not in a way to indicate they were coming for them. Not fast enough, not like how they'd attacked Lieutenant Commander Logan and...

Geordi shuddered... But it let him spot something out of the corner of his eye. A power node, and an input terminal. And from the infrared...

"What is it?" Deanna asked. Geordi moved towards the hidden structure, brushed away the dust...

"It's a door," he said. He reached out and found the terminal button... Which caused the door to open, _loudly._ A staircase was revealed, leading down into a bunker. He looked up-The Crystalline Entities were now definitely rolling towards them. Deanna quickly rushed down, grabbing Geordi's hand.

"Come on!" Deanna cried. The door slowly shut behind them as they made their way into the bunker, heavy doors sealing shut. Deanna took deep breaths, and Geordi scowled.

"I can't see them anymore..."

"No, but I can sense them," Deanna said. "And they were heading for us... This is the safest place, I..." She looked around the room as it slowly illuminated. "What is this place...?"

"Some kind of lab," said Geordi, as tables of computers and tools came into sight. He went to a terminal that warmed up, humming next to a coffin-like container. "Looks like.. Cybernetics?"

"I don't recall a cybernetics lab being here," Deanna said. She shook her head as she looked around. "Certainly not one... With an industrial replicator?"

Geordi shook his head. "So not a simple workshop... The question is... What were they working on he-?"

Troi screamed, and Geordi swung around. A crystalline claw had punched through the bunker doors, and was slowly levering it open. The light from the demonic, spider-looking monsters shined forth. Geordi pulled out his phaser, and checked the charge. Just enough... But there'd be more, and more...

"Troi! ENSIGN! Keep it together!" Geordi said. "TROI! Your weapon!"

Troi shakily drew her sidearm, and fired. Geordi fired with her, the two phaser beams melting the first Crystalline monster. But another pushed forward, and another, and over their comms the radio shrieking of the monsters came loud and clear. Deanna trembled, moved to the side of the coffin... And something beeped.

"Deanna? What-?" Geordi began, but the coffin popped open. A man, about Geordi's height, stood there in a black armored suit of some kind. His skin was pale, his hair was black... And when his eyes opened, they shined yellow. The Crystalline creatures broke forward, charging for Troi and LaForge. Geordi fired his phaser again, but the monster ducked and lunged-!

 _KSHING!  
_  
The man in the black suit had _moved,_ and the crystal monster was cut and shattered. His arm was opened, like a flower's petals... And a dull, dark blade stuck out. The other monster pouncing for Troi was struck, smashed into debris that scattered across the floor of the lab. The other entities paused slightly, as the android slowly turned to stare intently at them. Geordi and Troi shared a disbelieving look... Which was all the time the android needed to _move_ and shatter the remaining monsters with his blade. He then turned around, blinking curiously. His arm petals retracted, hiding the deadly weapon once more.

"... Hello," the android said, "can I help you?"

"You... You kind of already did," Troi managed, giggling a little at the absurdly calm tone of the android's voice.

The android nodded. "Can I help you further then?"

"... Definitely," said Geordi. "Definitely..."

"Thank you," Troi said with a smile. "I... I'm Deanna... That's Geordi... Do... Do you have a name?"

The android tilted his head, almost like a thoughtful bird.

"Data... My name is Data..."

* * *

The wait for the _Enterprise_ felt like it took no time at all, as Geordi and Deanna were both too fascinated by the android to stop asking questions. Data did his best to answer them, though a fair amount of the information they asked of him was outside his knowledge base.

"I'm afraid I do not know where Doctor Soong went," Data admitted, when asked about his creator and where he had gone. "Nor do I know if there are any others like me. It is conceivable, but I do not have any information to make more than supposition."

"That's all right, Data," Deanna said with a smile through her faceplate, "we're just trying to learn more about you. You did help us, after all."

"And you helped me," Data replied, tilting his head. "Though I have no emotional frame of reference, I much prefer being active to being deactivated." He studied her, as Geordi was out making contact with the _Enterprise._ "I do not think... You are human?"

"I'm half-human," Deanna said with a smile. "Half-Betazoid. What gave it away?"

"Eyes, skeletal structure, movements within the suit, feet and finger shape," Data recited. "I do not see your tail though."

"Had it removed as a child," Deanna said. She shrugged. "It grows back every so often."

"Why?" Data asked. Deanna smiled, glancing down at the ash covered ground.

"Lets me fit into space suits more easily," she admitted. "And makes it easier to... Connect with humans, I guess. I don't get along with my mother."

"Why?" Data asked. Deanna sighed.

"She wanted me to... To act as the Daughter of the Fifth House of Betazed. To... Take up the mantle."

Data blinked. His eyes skirted back and forth, as he tried to grasp it.

"Mantle... As in, a station or office of political or cultural power?" Data attempted. Deanna nodded.

"Yes! But I'd prefer to be... Be here," she said. "I feel as though I'm actually doing something useful... Not just sitting behind a desk or making speeches. My mother didn't like that."

"Is not leadership important when engaged in a large scale conflict?" Data asked. "I do not believe androids need... Morale improvements, but do not humanoids?"

Deanna nodded. "They do... But only when it suits their abilities and motives..." She sighed as she looked down at her phaser. "Then again, maybe I'm not any good at this, either."

"You survived," Data pointed out. Deanna huffed.

"As the _medic,"_ she ground out. "I... I didn't..."

Data blinked a few times, unsure of what to do. He reached forward and touched Deanna's hand, as she held her phaser. She started a bit, but smiled at him.

"I thought you didn't have emotions?" She asked.

"I do not... But... My background in humanoid interactions, while limited, does include information on comforting those with emotions," Data said calmly. She almost imagined she _felt_ something from the android... But it could just be projection.

Geordi came back, looking relieved. "They're over our position, ready to beam us up," he said. He looked at Deanna and Data in concern, and the Betazoid hid her smile at the genuine concern he felt for both of them. Despite barely knowing her for a few weeks, and Data for less than an hour. "You guys okay?"

"I am functioning within standard parameters," Data reported. Deanna nodded, squeezing Data's hand back. His fingers brushed over her phaser, and she felt a tingle.

"We're fine. Ready," she said. "You did tell them who we're bringing, correct?"

Geordi nodded. "Don't worry, they're expecting us," he said. The world shimmered, and Deanna resisted the urge to hold her breath as she went from one energy state to another. The familiar amber and white lighting of the transporter room came into focus. Standing to greet them, tall and ferocious looking as always, was Lieutenant Worf: Second in command for the security detachment. Per his usual, he was hefting one of the new TR-120 projectile rifles: Far larger and heavier than the TR-116s, to the point only lifeforms in the Federation with mega strength were really suited to handling them.

"Lieutenant, we-" Geordi began, but Worf motioned with his rifle. His eyes narrowed and he snarled.

"Lieutenant! Medic! Move! He's armed!" He growled. Geordi and Deanna moved, looking back towards Data.

"Well he's got swords in his arms, but..." Geordi stared in disbelief, as Deanna joined him. One of Data's arms was open, just as it had been when he'd deployed his swords against the Crystalline entities. Rather than a blade though, a perfect replica of Deanna's phaser was pointing out of his wrist.

Data blinked a few times, and then looked up. Was it Deanna's imagination, or did the android seem... Disconcerted?

"I have no idea how that got there," he said.

* * *

 _And that's it. An AU Star Trek, with an AU Data and many other things. Up for adoption for anyone seeking a new plot bunny._


End file.
